


Drop all the pretenses (+ several other things to drop)

by Kealpos



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Annaneth And Percy Have A Nice Sit Down Conversation, Emotional Hurt, F/M, One Shot, Post-Canon, ig lol?, theyre both trans btw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-01 06:21:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20810492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kealpos/pseuds/Kealpos
Summary: Artemis' eyes bored into her and Annabeth couldn't help the twitchy feeling. “Calm, girl. I’m not here to threaten you. I was hunting with several of my own when I heard word that you were missing. So tell me why it is that you are right here in front of me?”





	Drop all the pretenses (+ several other things to drop)

It isn’t so much that she expected everything to change in just a couple of days, but more that she felt so different than she had when she first left the apartment, she expected everything to warp with her. Everything was right where she had left it, the only things with any actual difference were the coat rack (until she put her jacket on it, then it looked just like it did last week), a couple of nicknacks, and some dishes strewn across the coffee table.

She stepped gently, almost afraid to disturb anything. There was that awful gaudy painting that Percy insisted they had to hang up after Rachel made for his birthday, there were those pillow covers Malcolm knitted for the cabin back in junior year, there was Percy’s shirt that she kept telling him to pick up. Annabeth couldn’t help but be amazed by it all, staring at it in wonder when just last week, all it was was her life. It was still her life. The weight of what Artemis said pressed against her.

A sudden, urgent thumping came from the bedroom, and she turned quickly before being met with a stony-face Percy, barreling in with his sword drawn. She wondered if that was what monsters felt like, seeing him coming at them in battle. It was the same expression he always had when he was fighting monsters, but usually, she was in the same mindset as him and had the same get-this-shit-done feeling. 

He ran in, wearing nothing but his pink boxers and one of his swim hoodies, and then suddenly skidded to a stop, his eyes widening as he realized he hadn’t been burglarized or broken into by some sneaky monster. His eye bags had eye bags, and it was clear, despite how meager his attempts at actually growing facial hair were, he hadn’t shaved in days. His sword glinted against the blue artificial hallway lighting, and she belatedly wondered why he was home, shouldn’t he be in class today?

“Annabeth?” He said, his voice muddled with confusion and awe and it’s only been a week Percy, control yourself, but also he kind of always said her name like that so. 

Annabeth bit the inside of her cheek as hard as she could, the tough feeling of coppery blood welling up in the side of her mouth. “Hey, Percy.”

“Annabeth!” Percy yelled, tossing his sword down behind him and crashing into her, pulling her into a hug tight enough to knock her breath out. He buried his face in her shoulder, and she felt herself stiffen involuntarily in a way she hadn’t since he had gone missing. Awkwardly, she placed a hand on his shoulder, and he jumped away. “Where have you been!? I’ve been calling, and texting, and Iris Messaging, and contacting everyone I know, but you never answered, and the Iris Messaging freaked me out because that one hasn’t stopped doing anything since I was on that first quest with Hazel and Frank and  _ Iris herself  _ came up and told me she couldn’t find you, and I was so close to getting Nico to take me to Olympus and asking the gods and-!” He cut his long, increasingly hurried rant off by pulling her into another hug, his voice cracking with emotion. “I was worried. I came back from class and you were just gone.”

“Percy,” she said, feeling so strange and a little ashamed of how she went about things. “It’s.. okay. I’m here. I’m fine. I’ve been with Thalia, and the Hunters have their whole thing about turning off Iris Messaging.”

She ran out last Tuesday after Percy wished her luck because he _ ‘heard they were testing in one of your classes today’ _ and  _ ‘I’m kind of surprised you haven’t mentioned it, I thought you’d be stressing for sure! But I should’ve expected more of you, huh? Anyways, I better go. I’ll see you later okay, Annabeth?’ _ because all his words made her feel sick to her stomach, and his grin was bright and personal and a little sloppy, and she felt like it was a big charade when she smiled back at him.

Annabeth had sat on the couch for an hour, and about half an hour before his class was scheduled to get out, she broke down crying and IMed Thalia. It was true about how the Hunters had their thing with Iris Messaging, but they only turned it off if they had a serious job they needed to be completely stealthy for, or if they were hiding someone.

She had cried to Thalia about how she had dropped out and how she couldn’t handle telling Percy and it’s been months and- Thalia just gave her a location, so Annabeth left with only her dagger and an apple in her pocket, turning her phone on silent and sticking it under the couch. She stayed with Thalia for the week, just hashing everything out, and helping out on a hunt or two. A couple of the newer hunters were excited to meet an older friend of the Lieutenant, and it was nice. No one else was in college either. The weight wasn’t so pressing.

That is, until a week after she first came, when she was on her own, picking up wood for the fire, Artemis came to her. She was bending over to pick up a twig, and suddenly she felt the strangest presence there. She looked up, and the goddess was watching her, as if sizing her up.

Annabeth jumped, dropped the wood, and scrambled into a bow, feeling much more composed once she wasn’t facing Artemis head-on. “Lady Artemis, I didn’t expect you here,” she croaked out awkwardly. “I heard you were with another group for the time being.”

The goddess had assumed the form of a much older woman than she normally did on hunts, easily in her early thirties. Annabeth couldn’t help but assume that it was a ploy to intimidate her even more, and it was definitely working. “I didn’t expect to be here either. Rise, Annabeth Chase.” Annabeth slowly stood up, and the god’s cool face changed as she quirked an eyebrow, her smile twitching.

“Calm, girl. I’m not here to threaten you. I was hunting with several of my own when I heard word that you were missing. So tell me why it is that you are right here in front of me?” Annabeth dusted the dirt off her pants and felt supremely silly about this whole situation.

“I, um. I have been having difficulties at home, ma’am, so I came to Thalia, just to not think about it for a little bit. I wasn’t aware that I alarmed people that much.” Artemis laughed, low and quiet, yet hearty.

“Well, tell that to my horribly terrified family members. It seems that your friends have been searching for you non-stop, and both Iris and Poseidon came to me, sharing young Perseus Jackson’s worry.” Annabeth looked up sharply, and something in her expression and her past words must’ve alarmed Artemis because the god’s face suddenly darkened. “He isn’t the one causing you troubles, has he? I’ve seen many controlling, abusive men in my lifetime. If he is hurting you-”

“No!” Annabeth suddenly yelped, clutching at the edges of her shirt. She cleared her throat when Artemis looked at her. “I mean, um, no ma’am. He’s not hurting me. He’s perfectly respectable and kind, and um. He’s good. It’s, uh. Problems with college.”

Her face softened and she chuckled at her, sitting down carefully on a log. “Ah. Higher education. I see. Come, sit with me, Annabeth,” she commanded, patting next to her. Annabeth did as she was told, tripping over herself to come over to her, and sat like she Artemis was a bomb that could go off any second. “Tell me, what troubles you?”

Annabeth didn’t know what it was - how scary being near a god always was, how much she actually wanted to hash it out with someone even though it hurt, or maybe just a really good opening. Regardless, she told Artemis everything. The god, for her part, just rubbed her back gently, and listened. Afterward, she sent Annabeth on her way with the advice to “tell Percy what is troubling you. From what I've seen of the young man, he's an understanding boy,” a ride by one of her giant deer, and the promise that she would tell Thalia that she had gone home. The trip was quicker, quicker than she wanted it to be, but she couldn’t deny it anymore. It was time to talk to him.

“Let’s…” She finally began. “Let’s sit down, and I’ll tell you about it.”

They headed over to the couch, Percy not even bothering to pick up his sword, just so intent on holding her hand, and when she sat down, she couldn’t help the exhale of relief that came out of her. It was a familiar comfort. It had actually been the Jacksons’ old couch, the one Sally had had in the apartment for years, but she had sent it off with Percy when they headed to college, saying how they needed a little bit of home, and they were going to get a new one soon anyway. 

“I’m going to get some hot chocolate for us,” Percy said, squeezing her hands and pulling away like it pained him. He talked as he moved, grabbing the power and the cups and everything as he chatted away. “I came home and you were gone and I figured you were running late or something so I decided to make dinner to surprise you, and then when you weren’t back by dinner time I was getting worried so I tried calling you but you didn’t answer. I tried not to panic, but I called you again and you didn’t answer. I waited up until like four a.m, just pacing and pacing, and then I had the bright idea of IMing you and it straight up wouldn’t answer! And that’s when I began to panic. And then I started calling literally everyone I knew, and nobody knew where the hell you were so-!

I was IMing you so much that Iris actually came up and was like, ‘Sorry honey, I can’t seem to find her at all’ and I can’t even remember what we said, I was too freaked out but then my  _ dad  _ called me and said everyone was looking everywhere and I was such a mess. I only knew you weren’t dead because Nico called me and shouted SHE’S NOT DEAD! And then we cried together because feelings you know? And basically, what I’m trying to say is: Where WERE you?” He placed the two mugs of hot chocolate down against the coffee table with a loud thunk, and when she looked up at his face, she could see barely restrained anger behind the worry in his face.

She swallowed, and finally said, “I’m sorry for scaring you, Percy. I honestly didn’t mean to.” After that, he just collapsed, falling onto the couch and putting his head in his hands. “Like I said, I was with Thalia and her hunters, just hanging out with them, all the way in fucking West Virginia. I was- I’ve been- I’m sorry.”

“You really scared me, Annabeth.” His voice creaked, and she hesitated before finally wrapping an arm around his shoulders, leaning her head against him. “It’s just, I’m always so scared of you being gone or dead or something. A whole week. I know it’s nothing, considering the amount of time I went missing, but jesus, Annabeth.”

“I’ve been…” She bit her bottom lip as hard as she could, and the hand not wrapped around Percy spasmed where it sat on the couch. “I’ve been dealing with stuff, and I didn’t know how to deal with it, so I did what I always do. I ran away because I’m a fucking coward.”

“No, you are not-” He interrupted, looking up sharply, but she barreled on.

“I am. Rather than talking to you about shit, like I should, I just up and left without even telling you, because I’m a huge fucking coward. So I ran to Thalia, and I just ignored everything until someone came and sat me down and told me how ridiculous I was being. I’ve- I’ve been- About a month ago I-”

She couldn’t say it. All this build-up and she still couldn’t say it. She stuttered over syllables, trying her best to parse it out concise and clear like she always prided herself to be, tried to remember the conversation she had with Artemis and push herself into just spitting it out, but she couldn’t.

“Annabeth. It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Percy, ever the gentleman, told her softly as he drew her into his arms. “It’s okay.”

“I need- I can’t-” She whispered against him, before finally curling her face into his shoulder, pulling herself as close to his body as he could get it. “Percy, I dropped out of college.”

He stilled before pulling away from her, and in the most seaweed brain, kelp breath, stupid fucking Percy Jackson move ever, asked: “Is that it?”

Annabeth jerked back like it stung, and couldn’t help the angry tone in her voice. “‘Is that  _ it?’  _ Percy, what the actual  _ fuck? _ ”

“No, shit!” He cringed and held tight when she tried to pull away. “I mean-” He sighed, hunching over. “Gods, sorry. Annabeth, I’m not disappointed or mad or whatever. I was scared you like- found out you were pregnant or something or had murdered a baby or wanted to break up or something, holy shit.”

“You’re not- You don’t-” She stammered. “You’re not like, going to lecture me on potential or whatever?”

His face twisted up offended, and he snorted at her, and she felt like laughing too because it was  _ Percy _ , why would she think he would say something like that? He pulled her back in for another hug, and he talked into her hair. “I would never, ever think less of you for doing something like this. I do not think that this is a loss of your potential. There is nothing you could ever do to make me lower my opinion of you. Besides, I’m sure that baby you murdered totally had it coming.”

Annabeth laughed, relaxing into his touch, and for the first time since she ever even started considering dropping out, felt relieved. After a moment of going over his words for a period of time, she slowly pulled away and asked: “Pregnant?”

He realized what she meant immediately, eyes widening. She couldn't help the absurd, uncontrollable laughter that bubbled out of her as he tried for damage control. “I don't know! It's one of those things that happens when your partner sits you down and is like ‘I need to tell you something!’”

“Percy, we're both trans!” She managed through laughs. “I am biologically incapable of becoming pregnant, and you are biologically incapable of  _ getting  _ me pregnant!”

“I don't know!” He cried. “Our lives are weird enough! It could happen!”

**Author's Note:**

> percy: for all we know YOU couldve gotten ME pregnant  
annabeth: percy. stfu
> 
> hai! welcome 2 my percabeth fic. i have a variety of pjo hcs, and most pressing being annabeth is a college dropout >:3c  
there is much more detail and nuance and hcs on my tumblr don-lockwood! please check out [my pjo tag!](https://transannabeths.tumblr.com/tagged/percy-as-in-jackson)


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